DJI Ronin: DJI's rock-steady pro cinema camera is finally available to buy

The incredible DJI Ronin 4D 6K boasts a top-quality camera and amazing image stabilisation in a single body, albeit at a pro-only price

DJI Ronin 4D 6K camera
(Image credit: DJI)

If you're serious about video and have plenty of money burning a hole in your pocket, you'll be delighted to know that the latest pro camera from DJI is finally available to buy. DJI is known as being the brand behind most of today's best drones, but the DJI Ronin 4D 6K is a bit different. This is a full-frame Zenmuse X9 gimbal camera that packs a 4-axis stabilisation system and LiDAR focussing, as well as a video transmission and control system, into a single body. It was part of a trio of new launches from DJI, which also included the DJI Action 2 action cam and the new flagship Mavic 3 drone, but this is something more of an investment than either one of those.

It's aimed squarely at professional filmmakers and has a price tag to match, but the DJI Ronin 4D 6K has some impressive features that enable it to make your productions more efficient while allowing you to execute incredible camera moves easily, giving you the tools you need to find new ways of telling your stories and delighting your audiences.

Key to the DJI Ronin 4D 6K's prowess is its intelligent image processing system, CineCore 3.0. Powered by DJI's own chipset, it helps you get the perfect shot every time thanks to an internal RAW codec that accurately reproduces colour, as well as advanced assistive functions using a powerful AI engine, plus multi-link monitoring and control with low-latency image processing.

Feeding the imaging system is a full-frame Zenmuse X9 gimbal camera that supports 6K at 60p and 4K at 120p, giving you plenty of options for shooting footage that's ready for the cinema. It has a dual-native ISO of 800/5,000 and over 14 stops of dynamic range, so regardless of the shooting scenario it's capable of capturing scenes with rich colour grades, and with DJI Cinema Color System (DCCS) you'll get natural skin tones as well as tonal consistency across a project, even if you're using different cameras.

When you're on location and can't rely on consistent lighting, the camera's nine-stop physical ND filters make it easy to adjust to changing conditions, and it's also incredibly versatile when it comes to choice of lenses. The X9 features an interchangeable lens mount that not only connects to DJI's own DL mount and the Leica M mount, but also other mounts with short-flange focal distances, enabling to you work with ultra-large aperture lenses, anamorphic lenses, and vintage manual lenses to get exactly the look and feel you require.

The DJI Ronin 4D 6K uses the H.264 codec and it can also record internally using Apple ProRes (although not Apple ProRes RAW). If you need a cinema camera with top quality stabilisation, the DJI Ronin 4D 6K is available to buy direct from DJI, with prices starting at $6,779/£5,659. Or if you're in the US, B&H has the DJI Ronin 4D 6K in stock, too.

Jim McCauley

Jim is a freelance writer who has been covering tech, games, design and more for magazines, websites and brands over many years.